Method and means for eve treatments



Septg 20, 1938. `c. H. scHwANER METHOD AND MEANS FOR EYE TREATMENTS Filed June 15.` 195e 5 Sheets-Sheet l sept- 20, 1938 c. H. scHwANER 2,130,474

METHOD AND MEANS FOR EYE TREATMENTS Filed June 1 3. 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 20, 1938, c. H. s cHwANER 2,130,474

METHOD` AND MEANS FOR EYE TREATMENTS Filed June 13. 1956 Sheets-Sheet 3 www Patented Sept. 20, 1938 UNITED STTS cargar METHOD AND MEANS FR, EYE TREAT- MENTS 7 Claims.

This invention is directed to a method of and means for providing for eye treatments wherein the conventional spherical lenses, as ordinarily employed by the patient in reading or the like,

are used and the treatment perfected while the patient is using such lenses for their ordinary and usual purpose.

It is well known in this particular art to treat the eyes of the patient for certain defects through an increase or decrease of prism power and such results have been attained by the employment of special implements which are adjusted or changed to suit the particular patients requirements which are ordinarily costly and complicated and requires the attendance of the patient at the oice of the Optometrist. ,The costly and complicated nature of these implements materially restricts their use in general practice andat best limits the number of patients who may be treated during working hours, and it is a serious encroachment on the time of the patient in waiting for treatment and in making further visits for additional treatments.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of an apparatus of simple and cornparatively inexpensive character in which the treatment is provided through the use of the spherical lenses peculiar to the patient for ordinary reading or'like purposes, and the apparatus as a whole is designed for convenient support upon the head of the patient, permitting the treatments to be carried out while the patient is using the particular lenses giving the treatment for ordinary purposes, such as reading or the like.

It is well recognized that the ordinary spherical lenses, when moved to the right or the left of the optical point, increases the prism power, having an increased stimulative effect in one direction and an inhibitory prism effect when moved in the opposite direction. The present invention is designed to take advantage of this well-known condition of spherical lenses, ordinarily employed as eye-glasses, and to utilize, as a metho-d of treatment, a means for moving the lenses when in ordinary position and function for their usual purpose to gain the desired prism power for treatment purposes.

The apparatus employed, therefore, as` an illustrative means of carrying out the method involves the provision of a carrier to be removably supported upon the head of the patient, on which carrier ordinary spherical lenses in use by that patient for reading purposes, or lenses similar thereto, are mounted, with means by which the 55 lenses, which when adjusted to the head of the (Cl. 12S-25.1)

patient are in position relative tothe eyes for all ordinary purposes, are slowly moved laterally toward and from each other while the lenses are being employed by the patient for ordinary reading purposes.

This apparatus will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the eye treatment apparatus with the cover plate removed, the movement compensating means being broken out.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the slide for accommodating the movements of the patient during treatment.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus, the cover plate being shown in position.

Figure 4 is a vertical section through one of the slots of the follower plate.

Figure 5 is a. View in elevation of the supporting plate.

Figure 6 is a view in elevation of the apparatus with the cover plate in applied position.

Figure '7 is an enlarged section showing the mounting of the parts on the supporting plate.

Figure 8 is a front elevation of a modied form, the cover plate being removed.

Figure 9 is a bottom plan View of the construction shown in Figure 8.

Figure l0 is a section on the line lll- IIJ of Figure 8.

Figure ll is an enlarged View in elevation, partly in section, showing the lens adjustment means.

The apparatus comprises a carrier including a head band having a substantially rigid frontal piece l to extend across the head of the patient 35 above the eyes, to the ends of which is connected a flexible adjustable preferably elastic strap 2 to fit the rear portion of the head of the patient and hold the carrier in proper position. The carrier includes a plate 3 depending from the frontal 40 piece l and formed at appropriate points with openings l which of course, when the carrier is in place, register with the eyes of the patient.

Extending transverse the forward face of the plate 3 above the openings i is a bar 5 formed with a longitudinal guide channel 6. Rotatably supported above the guide bar about centrally of the plate 3 is a gear pinion l, the shaft 8 of which is rotatably supported in the plate and provided on the rear side of the plate with a bevel pinion 9. Rotatably supported on opposite sides of the gear pinion 'l are driving gear pinions IG and il. These pinions i9 and Il are rotatably supported in the plate 3 in the plane of the gear pinion l and are in mesh with the gear pinion 1.

Slides I2 overlie and bear on the guide bar 5 and have extensions i3 fitting within the channel 6 of the guide bar. The slides proper I2 and the extensions I 3 which fit in the channel are preferably made in separate parts and secured to gether in an appropriate manner. Between the slides proper i2 and the extensions I3 are secured throw plates III which extend upwardly and are provided with vertically extending slots I5 preferably throughout the full length of the throw plates upwardly from the slides.

The respective throw plates III are designed to be moved in the rotation of the driving gear pinions ll) and II, and to provide for this movement, each driving gear pinion is provided with a pin I6 tting in the slots I5 of the respective throw plates with the outer ends of the pins preferably enlarged or having a disk terminal I'i of a diameter exceeding the width of the slot to prevent relative separation of the throw plates and driving gear pinions.

Obviously, in the rotation. of the gear pinion l,

the driving gear pinions are operated and the pins IS will correspondingly move the throw plates. As the driving gear pinions I6 and II necessarily move in opposite directions, the disposition of the pins I5 at opposite diametric extremities of the respective drive pinions will obviously cause such pinions to move the throw plates in relatively opposite directions, that'is t0- ward each other and from each other, compelling a similar movement of the slides.

As the extent of movement will depend upon the distance at which the respective pins I6 are spaced from the centers of the driving pinions, and as it is obviously desirable to vary the throw in order to control the prismatic power used in treatment, each driving gear pinion is provided with a series of openings I8 radially aligned from the center in one direction, so lthat the pin IE may be positioned in a selected opening i8 to secure the necessary limit of movement of the slides in accordance with the particular treatment desired.

Slidably mounted on each slide plate i2 is a clip I 9, the edges of which slidably embrace the upper and lower edges of the slides I2, with the main body of the clip overlying the front of the slides and provided with a set-screw 2i) by which the clip may be fixed in any desired position longitudinally of the slide. The spherical lenses 2| are Secured to the clips IB depending therefrom so as to register at all times with the openings 4 in the plate 3.

As the lenses 2i are ordinarily the lenses employed by the particular person for reading purposes, it is quite apparent that when the apparatus is in place on the head of the patient, the lenses are in position to serve their usual function for reading or other purposes and that with the pinion 'I in motion, these lenses are moved toward and from each other in order that the prismatic effect or influence on the vision may be varied from the normal optical point of the lens.

In order to provide foi` appropriate movement of the pinion 'I, the shaft 22 is rotatably supported on the rear surface of the plate 3, terminating at its inner end in a bevel pinion 23 in driving cooperation with the bevel pinion 9 and extending outwardly beyond one edge of the plate 3 and there provided through a universal joint 24 for driving connection with an extensible member 25, the end of which, remote from the shaft 22, is connected through a universal joint 26 with the drive shaft of a motor 2'I. The motor 21 is supported upon a pedestal 28 having a weighted base 29 and made up of telescopic sections 3l] to determine height, with the sections held in adjusted position by a set-screw 3|. The motor may be and preferably ifs supported directly upon a wooden block 32 mounted upon a rubber section 33 carried by the upper end of the telescopic member of the pedestal.

The extension member 25 is made up of spaced rods 34 having a central rod 35, with one terminal connected through the universal joint 24 with the shaft 22 and the other terminal having an end piece 36 slidably embracing ie spaced rods 34. Thus, the extensible member is freely movable in any direction through the universal joints and freely extensible to permit comparatively free movement of the head of the patient within limits to avoid interference with the natural movement during reading or other uses of the glasses while maintaining the treatment.

The revolution of the pinion 1, and therefore the revolution of the driving pinions IU and II, which are of the same diameter as the pinion 1, is very slow, comparatively speaking, moving from three to approximately twelve revolutions per minute. This causes a comparatively slow change in the positions of the spherical lenses, so that the variation in prism power, incident to such change in position of the lenses does not seriously interfere with the comfort of the patient or his use of the lenses for ordinary purposes during the treatment.

The primary purpose of the method and apparatus is to build a new and comfortable reflex action between the functions of sight, that is clearness and singleness of vision. Clearness of vision is controlled by the ciliary body including the muscles and nerves inside the eye-ball and singleness of vision is controlled by the extraocular muscles outside the eyeball. There must be a reex action between the functions to bring about clearness and singleness of vision at one and the same time. This reflex action becomes very fixed in association between the two functions and when lenses are placed before the eyes, there is required an alternation in the reflex action to meet the requirements of each function.

If plus lenses are placed before the eyes, they inhibit a given amount of stimulation that has been flowing for clearness of vision so naturally through the reflex action singleness of vision would be less stimulated and vision would be doubled. Immediately the brain, which is in oontrol of all nervous energy, attempts to set up a new reflex action between the two functions but in those cases where this is not secured, that is the alteration in the reflex action is not successful, outside assistance to secure the result has to be provided.

Through the apparatus and method described, the lenses are brought closer together and moved farther apart alternately. Thus, when plus lenses are used, the closer together the lenses may be, the greater the base in prism power, giving rest toV singleness of vision, but the farther separated the lenses are, the greater the stimulus to singleness of vision. When minus lenses are used, the closer together such lenses may be, the greater the stimulus to singleness of vision and the farther separated the lenses may be, the greater the rest effect.

VIn the modification shown in Figures 8 to 11, inclusive, the instrument includes a head band 31, similar to the head band of the preferred form, on which is removably secured a casing 38, preferably cylindrical. The casing is divided by a transverse partition 39 into a rear chamber ll and a forward chamber 4I, the latter being preferably of shallow depth and the former being of a depth to appropriately receive a motor i2 of a type designed to carry out the function of the apparatus. The motor is conventional, forms no part of the present invention and needs no further detailed description.

The motor shaft 43 extends through and is mounted in the partition 39 and carries a gear wheel 44 immediately in advance of the partition 39. This gear wheel (i4 cooperates with gear pinions 45 and 46 of identical diameter and rotatably supported in the partition 39 below the gear 44. Secured to the outside of the casing 38 in vertical line with the partition 35i is a transversely extending plate il which, as shown in Figure 10, is of angle form.

Slidably supported on the plate @l are slides i8 and 49, which slides, while mounted for sliding cooperation with the plate 4l, extend below the plate and are interiorly formed with threads 50 which cooperate with an adjusting rod 5i having oppositely threaded portions 52 and 53 and provided immediately beyond the ends of the plate 4l! with knurled projections 54 through the medium of which the rod 5i may be turned at will and the slides 43 and @le caused to move toward or from each other in accordance with the direction of rotation of the adjusting rod.

The respective slides d5 and 49 carry fixed angle supports, indicated at 55 and 55, which supports depend from the slides and are then projected outwardly relative to each other in substantial parallelism with the plate fl'l. The free terminals of the supports 55 and 56 carry pins 5l on which are rotatably supported sleeves 58. Ihe pins 5l' extend in parallelism with the axis of the casing 48, are disposed below the casing and project inwardly toward the head band 31.

Fixed to the inner ends of the sleeves 58 are socket extensions 59 in which are slidably supported bars 5B carrying appropriate lenses 6l. The outer end of each of the sleeves 5S is rigidly connected to one end of an angle lever 52, the opposite end of which angle lever is connected through a link 63 with a pin tt eccentrically connected to the respective pinions :i5 and 56. The eccentric connection of the respective links 63 is, of course, in diametric opposite relation with respect to the two pinions and to provide for adjustable throw, the pinions i5 and' d6 are provided with a series of radially aligned openings 65 for receiving the pin Sli.

The motor is energized conventionally through flexible conductors 66 designed to be connected to any convenient outlet box. While the motor is operating, the angle levers, through the links 63, rotarily reciprocate the sleeves 58 and move the lenses 6I slowly toward and from each other in a slightly arcuate path to secure the desired result. The lenses may be adjusted relative to each other in order than the lenses may be adjusted to accommodate theeyes of the patient both in the normal use of the lenses and during treatment.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 8 to l1, inclusive, as well as in the preferred form, the apparatus as a whole is designed to be worn by the patient and the lenses used in ordinary reading purposes during treatment. Of course, the conductor 66 is of such a length to allow the patient perfect freedom, within limits, while wearing the instrument.

Through the shifting of the lenses provided, an increased play or tolerance between the functions of stimulation and relaxation is created, allowing for a greater tolerance of the two functions, that is clearness and singleness, to act in accordance with one another while at the same time maintaining enough play between the functions to insure comfort and clear and single vision.

Of course, the invention contemplates, if necessary in a particular case, the use of an appropriate spherical lens or the use of any combination of spherical and cylinder lenses according to the needs of the particular patient. Stronger lenses may be used if necessary and the throw of the lenses may be increased or decreased according to the requirements of the particular patient in maintaining the functions of clearness and singleness of vision created during such adjustments.

The instrument as a whole is used for treatment while the lenses are being used by the patient in reading or other ordinary purposes.

Thus, under the direction of the Optometrist, the

treatments may be taken at home during the time the patient ordinarily employs in reading and, therefore, no particular loss of time on the part of the patient is occasioned for the treatment, such, for example, as would be the case where the patient was compelled to visit the oflice of the Optometrist by special engagement.

Furthermore, the apparatus as a whole is so simple and inexpensive as compared with instruments for similar treatments, that the Optometrist may readily have a number of such instruments and thus treat a number of patients at the same time without discomfort to the patient and while permitting him to employ the time of treatment in reading, for example.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present apparatus 'is designed for the handling of spherical lenses employed for reading and like purposes and thus to be clearly and carefully distinguished from testing lenses which are only employed for the purpose of testing the eyes to determine what spherical lenses will be later constructed for use. Therefore, in the following claims, the term ordinary is intended to mean those lenses which would ordinarily be employed in eyeglass frames for the use of the particular person in reading, and to this extent the inclusion of the term ordinary in the claims is intended to limit the type of lenses with which the construction and operation dei-ined in the claims is particularly concerned.

What is claimed to be new is:

l. A method of exercising the eyes through and during the use of the ordinary reading lenses and without in any wai7 interfering with the reading function of such lenses, consisting in mounting the lenses on the head of the user in a position to permit the usual reading function, adjusting the lenses relative to each other to insure maximum prismatic effect for reading purposes, and then constantly and uninterruptedly moving the lenses to gradually and constantly decrease and increase the prismatic effect of the lenses while at all times maintaining the lenses in that position relative to the eyes of the user as will permit the reading function, the exercising movement being such as to avoid interference with the reading function of the lenses during such movement.

2. A method of exercising the eyes through the use of the ordinary reading lenses and without interfering with such reading function during the exercising movement, consisting in mounting lenses on the head of the user to permit ordinary and usual reading function through such lenses, and then constantly and uninterruptedly moving the lenses to vary the prismatic effect of such lenses for exercising the eyes, the exercising movement being continuous and being limited in degree to avoid interfering with or preventing the reading function of the lenses during such exercising movement.

3. A method of exercising the eyes, consisting in mounting lenses peculiarly adapted to the user for conventional reading purposes to permit the ordinary reading function of such lenses, and then moving the lenses constantly to and from a position of normal reading function to vary the prismatic effect of the lenses on the eyes of the user for exercising the eyes, the complete exercising movement being such as to vary the prismatic effect of the lenses to a degree to avoid complete interruption of the reading function of the lenses at any time during the exercising period.

4. A means for exercising the eyes, including a mounting, lenses having the necessary characteristics to provide an ordinary reading function for the user, slides supporting the lenses, throw bars connected to the slides, and means for selectively operating the throw bars to automatically and continuously move the slides and thereby the lenses to vary the prism effect of the lenses for exercising purposes, the maximum limit of the throw bars being such as to avoid any movement of the lenses during the exercising function which will interfere with the reading function of the lenses.

5. A construction as described in claim 4, wherein the throw bars are moved in opposite directions during the exercising function.

6. A construction as described in claim 4, wherein the lenses are adjustably connected to the slides.

7. A construction as defined in claim 4, wherein the means for moving the throw bars includes aI power driven pinion, drive pinions intermeshing with the power driven pinion, and connections between the drive pinions and throw bars.

CHARLES H. SCHWANER. 

